From Love to Money
by Different Perspective
Summary: Set before BC and FFVII. President Shinra meets a woman that changes his life...In more ways than one. A simple What If story, if he wasn't so evil all the time... President ShinraOC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own anything

Selena smiled as she walked down the road to a candy store. She was 21 and born not rich, but not poor at all.

She walked into the large store to buy some candy for herself. Her grin widened as her nose got assaulted with various chocolate smells. Selena wandered to the truffle section, looking at all of the pieces. She did not notice when a young man stood beside her.

"There are a lot of different choices, don't you think?" He asked.

"WHAAAA!" Selena screamed as she jumped two feet in the air. She had no idea someone was standing beside her.

The young man had to sweatdrop.

Taking a few breathes, Selena looked at the young blonde next to her. "Yes, there are a lot of wonderful choices here! I love chocolate!"

"Chocolate is okay to me, a little too sweet for my tastes." He responded.

"Oh, well it is nice to meet you! My name is Selena Tyar. I'm 21 years old and I work as a cook." She smiled at him.

The man blinked back, "I am Thomas Shinra. I'm 25 years old and I am the President of the Shin-Ra Weapon Factory."

"Wow! You must be really rich then!" Selena exclaimed.

"Yes, I am very rich, but money isn't that important to me…" Thomas said with a hint of sadness. Selena looked at him and asked,

"Do you want love and companionship?"

Thomas didn't answer.

"I know, do you want to go on a date with me? It will be fun!" Selena cheerily asked.

"Alright, that sounds good. Meet me at the park at 2:00 today." Thomas smiled back at her.

"Deal! See you then!" Selena laughed and went out of the store to get ready.

Thomas couldn't believe his good luck, so he went back to his mansion to get dressed.

-Later On in the Park at 2:00

Thomas and Selena walked down the road, hand in hand. They talked about their lives, hobbies, dreams, almost anything a person can think about.

After a few hours, they decided to go back to their homes. "I had a wonderful time, Mr. Shinra." Selena smiled at him.

"Thank you…I had a great time too…but please, just call me Thomas." He said.

"Okay, I'll see you around then." Selena responded.

"Wait! Before you go, can you give me your address and number? Thomas asked.

"Of course! But you have to give yours to me then." Selena winked at him. The two adults gave each other the information and bid good-bye to each other.

When Selena arrived at her house, she smiled and wondered if he loved her. She fell asleep on the couch though, with hope in her heart.

Selena yawned as she woke up the next day. Today she had to work, so she got ready and walked out of her house.

Selena's eyes widened at what she saw in front of her. There were boxes upon boxes of the finest truffles on her doorstep. As she looked to see who sent it to her, she found a little tag on one of them.

It read-

To: Selena  
Love: Thomas Shinra

Selena felt her eyes water in happiness and decided to ditch work today to go see him.

Thomas and Selena continued to go out, give gifts, and they soon became a couple. They dated frequently and a year later, they got married. After a year of marriage, they soon had a child together, which they named Rufus.

5 years later

The 28-year-old Selena Shinra hummed as she cooked dinner for tonight.

"Mommy!" Came a voice as she was hugged around her legs. Selena smiled and looked down at her son.

"Yes Rufus?"

The 5-year-old Rufus Shinra smiled widely as he showed her his paper that one of his tutors corrected.

"Look, I got an A+ on it!" He cheerfully said. Selena smiled at him and patted his head.

"I am very proud of you. Your father will be proud too."

"I know! Daddy is going to be happy! He said that he is going to make me Vice President of his company soon, as soon as I turn 15! And when I become Vice President, I'm going to do my best to help him and we'll make the Shin-Ra Weapon Factory a great company!" Rufus exclaimed.

"I'm sure you two will." Selena replied. Just as Rufus was about to respond, he heard the front door open and saw his father walk through.

"Daddy! You're home! How was work?"

The 32-year-old Thomas Shinra stretched as he put his suitcase down. "Work was tiring, but I'm glad to be home." He said as he kissed his wife.

"Eww, grown-up moments." Rufus said.

Both parents laughed and shook their heads. Rufus tugged on his father's shirt and showed him his paper.

"Very good Rufus! It seems that you are going to be a great Vice President when you grow up!" Thomas proudly said.

"Of course! And I'll help you, so then you won't be as tired as much." Rufus replied.

Thomas nodded and Selena smiled at both of them.

It was during winter when it happened; Selena became deathly sick from a rare kind of disease. When Thomas heard that, he instantly placed her in the hospital with the best kind of doctors helping her. Her sickness was so bad, that she needed to be sent to Emergency.

Thomas made Rufus stay home with the tutors, not wanting the young boy to see his mom in such a bad state. When the doctors said it was okay for him to see his wife, Thomas rushed inside.

Selena was hooked to many types of machines, trying to support and save her life. Thomas kneeled down by her bed and took her hand with his.

"Selena…" He whispered softly to her. "It will be alright…."

Selena was able to crack one eye open and look at her husband. "Thomas…. I…"

"Shh, just save your strength. You'll be okay, my money was able to get the best doctors for you…" Thomas said.

Selena felt tears roll down her cheeks. "Thomas…That's not it…. I don't think I'm going to make it…"

"No, don't worry, you'll be alright. The doctors are the best of the best, they can help you as long as they are getting paid." Thomas said as he wiped his hand against Selena's face.

"Thomas…I'm so sorry…. Tell Rufus that I always will love him…." She gasped.

"Rufus knows that you love him…don't apologize…everything will be okay…." Thomas said as he felt more tears roll down his wife's face.

"Thomas…I'll always love you…………" Selena whispered as her eyes closed and her hand went limp in Thomas' hand.

The heart monitor gave a long beep in the long silence.

Thomas felt his heart crush into a million pieces. The doctors rushed in and sadly looked at the now crying President. They told him to go home for now, and they'll call him when they set up everything.

Thomas could only nod and slowly walk to his car.

When Thomas arrived home, he was greeted by his son who was looking at him.

"Daddy…. It is true…..? That mommy is gone….?" Rufus asked with tears building up behind his eyes. Thomas could only nod.

Rufus started to cry hard. "Daddy, can't you make her come back? You said money could save everyone. Can't you buy a thing that can revive people?"

The stress of his wife's death and the numbness in his heart took over Thomas' mind. An unexplainable rage came over and he slapped his son.

"SHE'S DEAD! SHE'S NOT COMING BACK! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! Thomas shouted with pain and anger in his voice. Anger that money wasn't able to save his wife and in pain because she died.

Rufus rubbed his cheek and stared at his father. "Daddy…? She can't come back…..?"

Thomas felt the last string of sanity break from his mind. All he knew was to hit the person that is closest to him. To deliver his pain to someone else.

Thomas kicked and punched Rufus until the boy was crying hard and begging his father to stop.

"Father! Please stop! It hurts!"

Thomas didn't answer, only remembering the pale face of his dead beloved. He continued his assault on his son.

"Father help me….Please stop it…..It hurts……." Was what Rufus could gasp out before fading into oblivion.

After a few minutes, Thomas felt his sanity creep back into him. He didn't know what happened, why his hands were red with blood, why-

Wait.

Why are his hands red from blood?

Horrified, Thomas looked at his son, who was bruised, bloodied and beaten with very shallow breaths coming from him.

"W-what have I done…." Thomas said, terrified and disgusted with his own actions. He quickly checked Rufus' pulse, relieved that he can feel it, but barely.

Thomas quickly called the hospital and told them what happened.

Thomas was looking at his now clean hands after washing them in soap and water. To him however, his son's blood will always be stained on him.

The President was currently sitting outside of the Emergency room, where his son was in. The doctors reassured that Rufus will survive, but also told him that he had a few cracked ribs, a broken arm, and a dislocated knee.

Thomas felt sick to his stomach.

The doctors granted permission to see his son and Thomas went in.

Rufus was connected to a life support machine and various other machines to help him breathe and recover.

Thomas went to his son's bed and kneeled by him. "Rufus….I'm sorry…….I didn't know what came over me…..I'm not going to ask you to forgive me…"

Thomas reached for his son's hand, but stopped before grabbing it. "No…I don't deserve to be called a father…I hurt him….I don't deserve to hold his hand….Not after what I did…"

Thomas cried at his own inhuman acts, but money was able to save his only heir. Thomas looked at his son and made a decision.

'I don't know if I am going to hurt him again….It would be best if I distance myself from him…That way, Rufus will never be hurt by my hand….' Thomas thought.

The President's hand shook as he stroke his son's cheek for the last time and ran out of the room, feeling that his soul crumble into nothing but dust.

Thomas continued to run his company, but his employees noticed the great change within the President.

He used to be cheerful, always talking about his family, and a sense of humor.

Now, he was cold, always serious, and he only talks about his company or money. He could order someone to be killed without feeling any sympathy. Only a few of the employees knew what happened, and most of them pitied the man who lost everything important to him.

In short, Thomas was completely dead in the inside. His heart and soul was killed when his wife died in front of his eyes. He felt all of his emotions leave him after forcing himself to distance Rufus away from him, in order to protect the boy from himself.

He remarried a woman named Teresa, but she was only out for his money. Thomas didn't care, he felt it was better that way. So if she died, Thomas wouldn't feel the same pain that he felt when Selena died.

Rufus was mistreated horribly by Teresa, but Thomas was too afraid to help him. He was scared that he might hurt his only son again. So, he distanced himself away from Rufus, being cruel when the boy asked for help.

This way, Rufus would learn how to hate him. This way, when Thomas dies, Rufus would not feel the same pain of losing his mother.

The only thing that he had left was money. Money… It was able to save his son and gain a small happiness every now and then. However, money failed to save his wife from that disease.

But money was the only thing he had. His wife is dead, his son is distanced away, a new wife that doesn't even love him, no friends, and all he had was a company with a ton of money.

Thomas wanted more money, so that way, it will never leave him. Money would never hurt or make him feel pain. Money is replaceable, he can always gain more. Money doesn't have feelings, so he can rip it to shreds when he felt that same rage overcome him.

Thomas wanted an endless supply of money, so that way, he can never lose the thing that granted him the true happiness of his first wife and son.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Pairing: small Rufus/Yuffie, small Thomas Shinra/Selena..

Warning: OOC

Note: This chapter takes place after Advent Children. I am NOT taking into account the book about "The Madien Who Travels the Planet"

_"Why am I still here…"_

_"In this mansion…No, it is just a haunted mansion now…Where Hojo's experiments ran loose."_

_"I can't see my wife…She probably hates me for what I have done…Besides, she probably is in Heaven or something like that…I'm just going to go to hell, where I belong…"_

Was what Ex-President Thomas Shinra thought as he was sitting on a box in a room in the Shinra Mansion. His form is not visible to human eyes, after all he is dead. Thomas' look and age was reverted back to the time before he lost his wife.

The ghost had to give a long-suffering sigh.

"Yuffie, come back here!" Came a voice that Thomas could recognize as his only son.

"NO WAY! I wanted to see those baby pictures that Veld and Vincent were talking about!" Yuffie shouted as she busted into the room where Thomas' ghost was sitting at. Rufus ran into the room a short time later, panting from trying to keep up with the ninja.

Yuffie looked around and saw a bunch of pictures in a basket. She ran over to the basket and only was able to pocket away one picture before Rufus snatched the basket away from her.

"Aww, Rufi, I wanted to see those pictures!" Yuffie whined as she pouted at the President.

"Don't call me Rufi! My name is Rufus! Want me to spell it out for you!" Rufus replied while rolling his eyes. Yuffie kicked the basket, making all of the pictures fly everywhere.

"Come on, this will be a great chance to learn about yourself!" Yuffie reasoned. Rufus gave a scowl and sat down, grumbling. Yuffie sighed, but sat down next to the stubborn blonde.

Yuffie grabbed a picture and showed it to Rufus. "Is that your mother?"

Rufus looked at the picture and made a face. "No, that's Teresa, my step-mom. Fuing bich….."

_"Rufus…He really did hate her…I was too ignorant to see…That ignoring you hurt you more than that beating long time ago…"_

Yuffie wisely put all of the pictures of Teresa back into the basket. She was really surprised to see pictures of Rufus' father, back when he was younger. He was skinny and smiling at the camera.

Yuffie showed one of those pictures to Rufus.

"Your father seems happy in this picture…"

Rufus looked at the picture and snorted. "He is just happy because he is dead rich with an infinite amount of whres at his call."

_"That's truly what Rufus only thinks about me…He did eventually hate me with all of his being…Even trying to kill me with AVALANCHE… I don't blame him, but at he least he wasn't in pain when Sephiroth killed me…"_

_"Eventually, I was consumed by my greed for money…And when I had sex with a woman…All I could see was Selena…I did almost anything to soothe down the pain within me…"_

Yuffie sighed and put away the pictures of just Thomas Shinra by himself into the basket. The ninja eventually found a picture of Selena and showed it to Rufus.

"Is this your real mom?" She asked.

This time, she was able to crack a small smile from Rufus. "Yeah, that's her…"

"What was she like?" Yuffie asked him.

"I don't remember her that much…She died when I was really young…I just know that she was a good mom…." He replied to her.

Yuffie smiled at him and put the pictures of Selena by herself in the basket. The ninja sadly noted there were no pictures of Selena, Rufus, or Thomas together in one picture, except the one that she pocketed.

_"That's right…I burned all of the pictures of Rufus or my wife together with me, happy and smiling… I couldn't bare to look at those pictures without crying…I burned all of them but one…I didn't have the heart to burn away all of them…"_

Yuffie grabbed the last of the pictures and smiled widely. "AWWWW! Look how you cute you were, Rufus!"

Rufus looked at the picture and his eye twitched horribly. "I was only like 4 years old in that picture!"

"But you look so cute with the little teddy bear in your arms like that! With your big smile and your chibiness!" The ninja teased.

Rufus chose to ignore her.

Yuffie pouted when she realized that there were no more pictures to show Rufus. Only that one picture that she hid before Rufus snatched the basket away from her…

"Rufus….Why do you hate your father so much…?

"…The earliest thing that I can remember about him was when he beat the sh out of me! He never cared, just ignoring me or being cold when I asked for his help. He just left me alone with Teresa! All he wanted was someone to run his company when he died. If that wasn't enough, he acted like he didn't care that his wife died and just went out with a bunch of whres! And he-" Rufus stopped his rant to look at Yuffie, who was crying over a photo.

_"There are so many misconceptions between Rufus and I…If only he knew the truth…Maybe he wouldn't hate me anymore…"_

"Yuffie? …Are you alright?" The shotgun user asked. Yuffie shook her head and let her tears land on the photo.

"Rufus…Just look at this photo…I'm just going to give you time to yourself….Maybe you'll realize what I have realized!" Yuffie shouted at him and tossed the picture into his lab. Yuffie then disappeared, probably outside of the mansion.

Rufus could only blink in confusion in what came over Yuffie. "It must be that period thing…"

Rufus sighed as he looked at the photo in his lap.

The picture had a smiling 32-year-old Thomas Shinra holding his 5-year-old son with one arm, while the young Rufus was grinning as wide as he could while giving peace symbols. Thomas had his other arm around a 28-year-old Selena's waist, hugging her to him while she gave a kiss to Thomas' cheek.

Rufus could only gawk at the picture.

_"That's the only photo left of us…Back before that day changed all of our lives…"_

"…I don't remember this picture…But we all look happy here…." Rufus mumbled to himself. "Does this mean…That I really misjudged him?"

_"Why am I still stuck though…I don't want to be here…It is because I am too guilt ridden? Or am I waiting for something…?"_

"When I have dreams…Sometimes they are flashbacks to my childhood…Back before my mother died…That I was happy, with my father. I thought they were just crazy nightmares….But could it be true….?" Rufus said to himself.

Rufus looked at the picture carefully, looking at a happiness that was lost 18 years ago. He heard from Teresa that his father would sometimes cry alone in his room, but Rufus thought he was crying because he lost money.

"Was I really wrong this whole time….? That my father isn't as bad as I made him to be? That before his wife died, that he was an actual human being with a conscience and a heart….?" Rufus wondered.

_"Is Rufus really changing his opinion of me…? The kid who learned how to hate me with his entire being?"_

Rufus sat there and started to put all of the pieces together. The flashbacks from his dreams, rumors from Teresa, why Selena married him in the first place, and the photo in his lap.

"He was consumed by grief when my mom died…Then maybe he hit me, cause he went insane for a while…After that…He distanced himself away from me, cause he was afraid that he would hit me again? That when he lost his wife and me, he became dead inside?" Rufus explained to himself.

_"So…He figured it out himself…"_

"That stupid idiot!" Rufus yelled as he started punching the floor beside him. "He didn't have to distance himself away from me! It made it worse! I would have understood if he hit me!"

Thomas Shinra being surprised was an understatement. He got up from his box and walked to his only son, who was giving out what could be described as a temper tantrum. The ghost reached out, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, gaping in shock as his form started to materialize.

Rufus stopped punching the ground as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He instantly pulled out his shotgun and pointed it behind him, not knowing who it was.

The President then slowly turned around to see his father who was sweating from the shotgun pointed between his eyes.

Crickets chirp. Chirp chirp.

Rufus blinked rapidly and said the first thing that came into his head, "HOLY HELL! YOU ARE SKINNY! AND YOU HAVE HAIR!"

Thomas Shinra gave his son a very flat look. "Nice to see you too, Rufus."

"How are you here?" Rufus asked, debating or not to put away his shotgun.

"After I died, it seems that my spirit is stuck here….I can't move on in the afterlife…Perhaps because this is the last place where I still had my humanity and happiness. Or maybe my spirit yearns for something here..." Thomas explained.

"I still hate you." Rufus bluntly said while putting away his shotgun. No use killing a dead guy after all.

"I know you do…And I don't blame you for hating me….I just wanted to say something to you for a long time…." Thomas quietly said.

"Then say it old man."

Thomas turned around, so that his back was facing Rufus. "That I'm sorry for distancing myself from you…For ignoring you when you needed help the most…Being cruel after Teresa screamed at you….And I know that I don't deserve to be forgiven….But can you forgive me anyways?"

There was a long silence afterwards. Thomas hopelessly sighed. He looked back at his son, who was surprisingly rubbing his eye.

"Stupid emotions….Stupid tears, I'm not going to cry in front of my old man…" Rufus mumbled as he refused to look at his father in the eye.

Thomas gaped at him, not caring if he looked like a total idiot.

"Stupid old man, thinking he needs to apologize when I tried to kill him. Stupid father, who wanted the best for me while I was being ungrateful.." Rufus said as he glared at his shocked father.

Thomas wouldn't be more surprised if Sephiroth came busting into the room doing the Can-Can.

"Rufus…I…" The Ex-President was about to say before he was interrupted.

"No, don't say anymore….You said enough….But….I…forgive you….Alright? ….I don't hate you, dad….." Rufus replied.

To Thomas, that was a lot more than he expected.

"Well, what is going to happen to you now?" Rufus asked.

"I think it was everyone calls "hell." Thomas sighed, he really didn't care about going there. But he won't ever be reunited with Selena…

"I don't think so MR. Thomas Shinra! You aren't getting away from me that easy!" Came a voice as a form visualized in front of the two blondes.

Thomas and Rufus both gaped in shock.

There was Selena, in front of them, smiling with full color in her face in a ghostly form.

"You! How! When!" Thomas spluttered as he thought he was going to get a heart attack, even though he is already dead.

"WHAT IS UP WITH THIS WORLD!" Rufus shouted, letting shock completely show in his expression. After being around Yuffie and the Turks, the President had a lot of trouble keeping his emotions in, unlike a couple years ago.

Selena smiled at both of them and patted Rufus' head before walking to Thomas. She hugged him and laughed.

"Don't be all shocked now! I would never leave you! The only reason you didn't go to the afterlife was because you were too guilt-ridden and wanted Rufus to accept your apology." Selena said to the astonished Ex-President.

"But you forgive me even after I killed all of those people?" Thomas blinked in amazement.

"Of course! You know why? It's because I love you, baka…."Selena whispered as she closed her eyes.

Thomas hugged Selena back and smiled, happy and at peace since he is with his wife again. Rufus decided that this was the strangest day of his 23 years of living.

Both parents looked back at Rufus, their ghostly forms fading away together.

"Love you…My little Rufi…

"Take care…son….Be happy…."

And with that, both forms disappeared completely. Rufus blinked for a few seconds, but eventually stood up. The President grabbed the photo from the ground and smiled.

"I was hating the wrong people for a long time…"

Rufus said as he placed the picture in his overcoat, for safekeeping. He then walked out of the mansion.

Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the President walk out of the mansion. "Are you alright, Rufus?"

Rufus walked to her and nodded, "Everything is better now.."

Yuffie blinked and asked, "What happened?"

"I'll tell you some day later, I promise." Rufus smiled at her as he walked to the helicopter.

Yuffie gaped at his back. She quickly recovered and shouted, "HEY! Tell me right now, Rufus Shinra! I WANNA KNOW! YOU BIG JERK!"

The ninja stomped over to where the helicopter is, grumbling.

A month later

"Hey Rufus, wait up for me!" Yuffie shouted as she caught up to the President, who stopped at two graves.

"Run faster next time." Rufus replied as he looked at the two graves he stopped by.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him, but was content that Rufus eventually told her what happened at the mansion. Yuffie was not surprised in what happened, but was glad for it.

"So, is the 10th of every month the day when you visit your parent's graves?" The ninja asked him.

"That's right, after all, it was the 10th of last month was when I realized the truth about my father…" Rufus replied as he placed the flowers on both of his parent's graves.

Yuffie nodded and smiled at him.

"Rest in peace and stay happy…..mom and dad……." Rufus whispered almost inaudibly.

And somewhere in the Lifestream, Thomas and Selena smiled.

FIN


End file.
